I'm a classical musician and a vegetarian. I eat mostly a plant-based diet and love finding new vegan & raw recipes to try. Blogging is a new passion of mine and I try to post as often as I can (between rehearsals and concerts) Eat smart!

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Saturday, October 31, 2009

So I finally went to that other market. It was ok, not too big. Had a couple of nice tables of produce from local farms. There was even a mushroom farm! Perhaps this market was a bit too hillbilly for my taste....but anyway, I got 2 eggplants, 1 beautiful cauliflower(I got excited taking pictures of it!), and some huge Portobello mushrooms.

I think tonight is going to be leftover night: brown rice with that Shiitake mushroom sauce. I'll steam some new veggies to go with it. So no more posting until tomorrow! Coming soon: Sweet Potato Bake from VeganYumYum.

Friday, October 30, 2009

I used the "Monk Bowl" idea for lunch today. I cooked some brown rice in the rice cooker and steamed veggies on the stove. For the sauce, I made the Shiitake Mushroom Sauce from The New McDougall Cookbook. The only I did differently, was I used fresh Shiitakes, because I had a ton from last week's market! It made a lot of sauce, so now I have a ton leftover....which is good, because I also have a lot of leftover rice. And by the way, I used a flat leaf type of kale in the vegetables. It was grown on the property at the Saturday market!

For dinner, I basically made my Cauliflower a la Lemon recipe, but I added some potatoes, because I didn't have a ton of broccoli and thought they would go nicely with the lemon flavor. However, I left off the couscous for this meal, since we had potatoes in there. And I didn't add oil, just a little spray on the pan first.

Thursday, October 29, 2009

I'm really enjoying my new vegan yumyum cookbook! And I love that it has color pictures of everything too :)

Tonight I made the Creamy Tomato Barley Risotto and it was excellent! This was my first ever recipe with nutritional yeast! (am I too excited about that??) The only thing I added was kale and mustard greens. Really was just like eating risotto, except that it's barley! And like she says, you don't have to stir forever. I used unsweetened almond milk instead of the soymilk. I also had to cook it a little longer, as the barley wasn't quite cooked all the way. But I highly recommend this recipe and the cookbook!

Off to work I go. Get ready, I've got several days off starting tomorrow and I hope to post quite a bit! Already excited about Saturday's market(s)!!

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

First let me say, I got my stash via UPS last night!! My 5 lbs of oat groats, quinoa, israeli couscous, nutritional yeast (never used it before), almond flour, and chipotle powder (although they seem to like a different spelling).

On to dinner:Roasted Root Vegetables. I made this a lot last year, when we lived in cold, cold Cincinnati. It's really easy. It's from the Local Bounty Cookbook. This time, however, there were no leeks or parsnips to be found, so I left those out. I had lots of turnips and sweet potatoes from the market though, so I used those. And I used a yellow onion (I guess, instead of the leek). And well, this time around, I left out the oil......well just sprayed a tiny bit on the pan, and a very tiny spray on top of the veggies before they went in the oven. I highly recommend this recipe for a cold Fall/Wintery evening!

No blogging tomorrow probably....I work all day. Definitely by Friday though.....ohhhh, I still have Shiitake mushrooms...I forgot! Hmmmm.....something to think about. And mustard greens.....what do those go well with? They're kind of bitter....I guess I'll just steam them and serve them over rice or barley.

Monday, October 26, 2009

I finally cooked millet....yay!! Thanks to happyveganface for a wonderful recipe. You can find the great recipe for Spicy Mexi Millet here. This is the first time I've ever made millet and I'm so making it again! To me, this is the kind of recipe I'll keep on hand for relatively quick and delicious meals.

I did however make just a couple of changes, due to the fact that I didn't have some things. I used the juice of a whole lemon.....didn't have any more of those great key limes from the market, sniff. I used dark red kidney beans, because it was either that or black beans, which I guess would've been good too. And lastly, I didn't use any jalapenos. They freak me out. Not because of the spice (I don't mind some spice.....but my husband loves extra spicy), but because the last time I handled them, my hands broke out in a rash and got really itchy. I did end up using gloves for a while to handle them, but that's kind of a pain. Maybe one day I'll break down and get jalapenos again.

So I give this recipe a 10, because it's so good, and it's pretty darn easy. Who knew? Thanks happyveganface!! :)

Ahhh....back to work tomorrow. Was thinking of roasting some root veggies tomorrow......need to use up the market turnips. We'll see.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Ok, wow....so today I did two meals. BUT.....the first was from (mostly) the McDougall cookbook I have. Dinner was my own concoction....but was pretty darn good, if I don't say so myself!

Let me start with lunch. I made the Broccoli-Barley Toss from "The New McDougall Cookbook". I only changed a few things. First, I added kale, because I love kale! Second, I used Shiitake mushrooms instead of regular ones (actually, he doesn't specify, to be exact). I didn't have snow peas or bean sprouts and I left out the green bell peppers. I think that's it. And technically, I didn't toss it! I put the vegetables on top of the barley. It was very good, but it could've used just a bit more flavoring. Maybe next time I'll use real ginger and something else.

On to dinner. I still had some eggplant left...I had already sliced it and put it in a bag, raw. I'm really not a fan of eggplant....I'm sure I've mentioned that before. My husband wanted me to make something with it....something with tomato sauce and something spicy. So I did. And I actually liked it! It tasted very much like eggplant parmesan, except there was no cheese in it.....it was vegan!

Put the eggplant in a colander and sprinkle a lot of salt on it. Let it sit for 30 minutes to draw out the water/bitterness. Rinse, dry, and set aside. Spray a bit of oil on a cookie sheet. Mix the breadcrumbs with the seasonings (unless you have pre-seasoned crumbs), to taste. Put the almond milk in a bowl. Dip the eggplant in the milk, then cover with breadcrumbs. Lay them all out on the cookie sheet, single layer. Broil about 7 minutes on each side.

Spray a little oil in a 9x13 pan. In a large bowl, mix the tomatoes with the spices (unless you are using jarred sauce, with seasonings). Spice it up! It's really good spicy. Put about 1/3 of the sauce at the bottom of the pan. Lay half the eggplant down on top of the sauce. Then add the peppers and squash. Pour more sauce over it. Then add the basil all over the top, followed by the rest of the eggplant. And top with more sauce. And sprinkle a good amount of seasoned breadcrumbs all over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.

I made some extra red wine sauce to go on top, but as it turns out....we didn't need it. There was plenty of sauce in the baked dish. You could add zucchini, onions...etc...if you want.

We invited our friend, Dave, over for dinner. I think it was maybe a bit too hot for him. But if you like it spicy, go for it! I hope I didn't forget anything because I never write this stuff down.

For dinner, I roasted some vegetables, but I added eggplant, since I needed to use it up. Also added a little balsamic vinegar near the end, for flavor. Served with polenta. Wasn't that into it. My husband liked it though! I could've used more vinegar. Was thinking of making a balsamic reduction for it....not enough time. Next time I'll try that. Does it really take a couple of hours to make? Anyone?

Maybe tomorrow I'll make a millet dish. I came across some good recipes from various blogs......I think I'm becoming addicted to food blogs. Is that wrong?? I look at Google reader everyday (ok, several times a day) to see what's new in my billion blogs I'm subscribed to! I can't keep up with you guys.

Was such a nice day today....walked in the park for 45 minutes. Lots of ducks, swans, geese, egrets, and even a heron. Although we did get chased by some aggressive Muscovy ducks.....

Friday, October 23, 2009

I was browsing blogs today and found a good recipe for "Veggie Fries" here on the VeganMindedBlog site. Looked so good, I had to try it. I also used zucchini and yellow squash. I used only a very small amount of unsweetened almond milk and Vegenaise. Had whole wheat breadcrumbs, which I flavored with Italian Seasonings, garlic, creole seasoning, salt, and pepper. Was pretty good! I served it with some steamed kale and broccoli. Had some leftover Asian Ginger sauce from a recent Monk Bowl.
I'm not sure the 2 went together....the Italian seasoning, with the Asian. Oh well....had to use up the sauce. I was going to make a millet dish (I was so excited that I bought millet today!), but decided I'll do that maybe tomorrow. I've never made millet, but I noticed so many vegan blogs use it.

I also ordered nutritional yeast! A lot of vegans use that, and seems to add some "cheese-like" flavor to foods, so I'm excited to start using that too. And it's an excellent source of Vitamin B-12! Since I'm really cutting down on my dairy consumption, I thought I could use some. Speaking of that, the McDougall program seems to be doing the job. If I stick with non-oil and non-dairy foods, my weight really does go down! Yay for rice and potatoes! :) .....and now for millet! (although I do have quinoa, which I love too)

Tomorrow, I may go to TWO markets. Yes, 2. We'll see how the day goes and how many vegetables I can handle. Wish me luck!

I finally have a few days off, so I can do a little blogging. Exciting, no?

So that's all for now....off to see a chamber music concert in a bit (Musaica).
Eat smart,
T.

Boil the potatoes until tender. Drain and put into a bowl. Mash them up with a fork (I didn't have a potato masher). Add the spices to taste. If you like it spicy, add more creole seasoning (or paprika, cayenne pepper, etc.). Set aside.

Put the onions in a pot with a little water. Cook until soft. Add the kale (I also used market mustard greens). Cook for a couple of minutes, until wilted, stirring every so often. Add the cumin seeds and spices. Stir. Then add the tomatoes and water. Cook until bubbling. Mix the cornstarch with a couple of spoons of water. Mix well and add to the sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes or so. Serve on top of mashed potatoes.

Notice I again didn't use any oil. I almost added some almond milk to the potatoes, but then decided against it. You can, if you want it creamier. I like it a little chunky too! Enjoy. And just so you know, I still have several sweet potatoes left, so there will be another recipe some time in the near future. Probably this weekend. It's also time to make another dessert! Stay tuned.

Monday, October 19, 2009

Wow, I'm sorry I haven't been blogging in a week or so. I've been soooo busy with our friends from Germany who were visiting, and work...and recording sessions (6 hours of recording today alone!).

I think I've got a bit of time this coming week, so hopefully we'll get some good food in.

Let me tell you about the goods I got at last Saturday's CSA: turnips, red mustard greens, green onions, shiitake mushrooms, apples, satsumas, pea shoots (what do you do with those??? put them in a salad?), sweet potatoes (now I'm overloaded with those), peppers, cucumbers, green beans, yellow squash, and NO OKRA!!! :)

I still have a lone eggplant in the fridge....wonder how long those things last....anyone? My husband's been eating the raw okra, so I don't have to freeze any of that. And this is really exciting....for me at least.....I found KALE in the store! Ok, it was in a bag, but that's better than nothing! Yay!

It's a short post, but it's something. So if you know what to do with pea shoots, let me know....I just assumed you put them in a salad or something, like sprouts. Hmmmm....sweet potatoes. Maybe I'll try mashed sweet potatoes...does that sound good? I'll have to search all the other blogs for some good info.

Sunday, October 11, 2009

So our friends were here today (from Germany) and before I had to go to work, we decided to walk around the French Quarter and then have lunch. As I walked by Brennan's, I remembered what good eggs they made for brunch and thought it might be nice to take them there. Then they can say, "We went to Brennan's", since it's pretty famous. I thought we should fit one of those kinds of restaurants in while they were here.

Picture it: 11:05 am we put our names down. The hostess said it would be a wait of between 45 minutes and an hour. Well, that's ok....we weren't completely hungry yet and we decided to go for a walk in the meantime. So we walked. We got back around 11:35 (since usually restaurants overestimate their wait times). We stood around for quite a while. More and more people kept coming in, some with reservations (who also had wait) and some without. Everyone was given the "45 minutes to an hour" wait time.

Noon: still waiting.

12:15: finally seated, just after my husband asked where we were in the line. They took us upstairs to a small room with 6 tables in it. The four of us sat down and felt like we were on top of the subway. The floor shook like crazy.....was really weird. Not sure why....didn't ask. Maybe we'd get a nice massage if we all got on the floor!

One of the waiters gave us menus. I remembered having the Eggs Portuguese and really liking it. I watched as the waiter sat 2 more tables around us. Then he proceeded to ask BOTH of them what they'd like to drink. Meanwhile, we were still waiting to order drinks. (well ok, only my husband ordered some wine). Probably 15 minutes later, he came by to ask what we wanted to drink. And then 5 minutes after that, we ordered.

Ordering: let me just say....they were not helpful at all. I asked, can the "tomatoes sauteed in butter" not be sauteed in butter? NO. The waiter said they cook it all in large quantities....so much for these "fancy" restaurants preparing a dish just for you. Can I have the Hollandaise sauce on the side? YES. Phew. Are your potatoes cooked in a big amount too, or can I you leave out the oil? YES cooked in big quantities. NO we can't leave out the oil. The second waiter (the one that took our orders) looked quite young, maybe in his 20's?? He wouldn't budge. Nothing. Didn't seem to care what kind of diet I was eating....just wanted to get the orders in. You know, the only words I could think of was that he just didn't get it. I was soooo tempted to just say, "I wouldn't like anything, thank you very much."

There was butter on the table....hmmm......we all wondered what that was for. There was no bread....or crackers...or anything. That's ok, I didn't need the bread.

1 pm: our food arrived! AND....bread....aha! We found use for the butter. (I guess I'm just used to them bringing bread before the meal, while you wait) The eggs were very good. And they DID bring the sauce on the side. But this meal was quite calorie/cholesterol laden. I ate, angrily.

This area was known for its service before the storm. I'm starting to wonder if that's gone by the wayside these days? Because my biggest complaint about this meal was definitely the service....all around. I'm still quite upset. I won't go back. I don't care how famous it is.

And that's my rant for today. Sorry you had to hear that. I really wish restaurants (especially expensive, fancy ones) would help out their clients and offer healthy food. I actually remember going to some places (fancy places) before the storm and asking the chef if he/she could make something vegetarian for me. And they would! And it would be very good!! I think times have changed in this not-so-fair city.

Friday, October 9, 2009

Not really.....I mean, not really food for a hot afternoon, since it involved turning on a hot oven. But it indeed was/is a hot afternoon. Nothin' like 90 degrees......heat index of 100 to make you stay inside....and cook!

Today I made two things: a dip and cookies. So no actual meal, but I told you the cookie recipe would be coming!

(sorry for the weird look here....I had a hard time editing this post)

Eggplant Dip (a recipe from my friend, Nadja's, father):

1 large eggplant, roasted, peeled and drained of excess water

1/2 cup red pepper, diced

1/4 cup yellow pepper, diced

1/2 cup cucumber, diced

1/2 tsp garlic

1 tbsp parsley, chopped

2 tbsp olive oil (I usually leave it out)

2 tbsp lemon juice

pepper & salt

Combine everything (except salt) by hand OR process in a food processor (I like the 2nd way myself). Don't add the salt until you're ready to serve it.

Preheat oven to 350. Mix the oil and agave together in a large bowl. Beat in the egg and vanilla. In another bowl, stir together the flours, baking soda, salt and spices. Add to egg mixture. Stir in oats and chocolate chips. Depending on the consistency, you may need to add a bit of water so it's not too thick to mix. Drop them by spoonfuls on a greased (sprayed) baking sheet. Take some demerara sugar (or whatever you have), and pour some on a small plate. Take a glass and wet the bottom. Then smear it onto the sugar and press down the tops of the cookies a little, putting the glass in the sugar between each cookie. Bake for about 9 minutes if you want them still a little soft. If you like them crispy, bake for 10 or 11 minutes.

This was the first time I used agave in them. Again, I find that baked items are not as sweet when I use it. Still very good, you have the chocolate chips for sweetness. And these were maybe a bit more cake-like, since I really reduced the oil. My original had 2/3 cup oil and 1 1/4 cups sugar. So it's up to you.

Tomorrow's market day....yay! And we have friends coming to visit from Germany, so I have no idea what I'll make this coming week. I'm not used to cooking for 4!

By the way, the production of "Opus" by Southern Rep last night was absolutely wonderful! I highly recommend the show. It was written by Michael Hollinger, who was a violist that went to Oberlin....just like me!

Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into thirds or so. Boil them until tender. Drain. Cut them into cubes and put them in a bowl. Sprinkle with the lime juice and chill for at least an hour. When chilled, add the apple, celery, (nuts if used), and Vegenaise. Chill for another hour. Done! So good.....

I had these 4 sweet potatoes from the farmer's market. You see? I do find good use for vegetables I rarely eat. Wonder what they'll have this Saturday......

I still have a huge eggplant in the fridge, so perhaps the eggplant dip will be next (don't worry, the cookies are coming too....!!).

Wow, the heat index is really climbing today. Says it's 101. The actual temp is 90 degrees (F). Too hot. I think these are record highs for this time of year. Last week was so nice...in the 70's. I hope it cools off again soon. Someone send me some nice Fall leaves and sweater weather please :)

And so that's it for today. Going to see "Opus" at Southern Rep tonight.
Eat smart,
T.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Hello again! Welcome to mushroom day. I had leftover Shiitakes and White Buttons from the market, so I thought I should use them up. Tonight I made Experimental Stuffed Mushrooms and Teriyaki Udon Noodles with Shiitake Mushrooms. Both were pretty easy (especially the Teriyaki dish). The most time consuming part was taking the stems off the mushrooms and chopping them.

Preheat the oven (I used my Cuisinart Toaster Oven) to 375 degrees. Saute the onion in a pan with a little water. Cook for 3-4 minutes. Pull the stems out of the mushrooms (so you get the whole thing and have lots of room to fill) and chop them up. Add them to the onions. Add a bit more water, if it's sticking to the bottom. Cook for 3-4 minutes. Put the cooked onions and mushroom stems in a bowl. Add the bread crumbs and the chickpeas. Mash up the chickpeas really well in there. Add the rest of the ingredients. Take the mushroom caps and put them on tin foil or a sprayed cookie sheet. Fill them evenly with the stuffing. Bake for about 15 minutes. (If you like cheese, you could probably add a bit of parmesan on top near the end of the baking)

Add mushrooms to pan with a little water (1-2 TB). Cook on medium heat for about 5-7 minutes. Add the udon noodles and the teriyaki sauce. Stir often, so it doesn't stick. You may want to add another tablespoon or so of water while it cooks. Again, stir often! I like it a bit crispy, so I cook it until the noodles have browned and crisped up. Stir, stir, stir. Done.

Now, I don't usually measure anything when I'm cooking, so I hope it all comes out right :) And I'm not sure that Italian style and Japanese style go together.....but it was fine by me!